Matmatah in Chennai
 Alliance Francaise of Madras presents
Matmatah, a unique rock music concert, at the IIT Madras campus on Monday,
January 24.
Matmatah is currently one of the leading rock bands in France. Their first single was sold at more than
8 lakh copies and their first album at more
than 6 lakh. They released a fourth album last October.
Their Celtic origins inspired their music. However, all those who really listened to their discs or attended their resounding tours are well aware that
their main influences come from English and American rock music of the '70s.
The adventure began in 1992, West Brittany, France. Sammy and Stan formed a song & guitar duo, calling themselves the Tricards Twins and playing
in all the tiny bars along the way.
If the sound was acoustic, the choice of music (The Beatles, Neil Young...) was a reminder of the 'rock' origins of those who, in 1995, came to be
known as 'Matmatah', when Eric on the bass and Fanch on the drums joined them. The first step was achieved and they acquired a solid reputation
that never faltered.
Their first single, 'The Sheep' (1997) sold 30,000 copies in less than six months before finally reaching the astonishing figure of
8 lakh. Too often
labelled 'ethno-world' or 'Celtic rock', the group knew how to please the eclectic crowd, thanks to their joviality, their passion, their detonating
cocktail of electronic frenzy and nostalgic sounds.
The media craze for Matmatah started during their triumphant marathon tour of 80 performances from Elysees-Montmartre to Zenith, by way of
multiple festivals.
The second album, 'Rebelote', cut in 2001, was disconcerting since it distanced itself from the Breton influence to draw closer to its heritage of Celtic
rock straight from the '70s.
The year 2001 was spent entirely on stage. Vitality
in tact, they gave two packed concerts at the Olympia. They criss-crossed the provinces and
performed in summer festivals. Thus, they were able to record almost 30 performances. They thought of bringing out an album 'live': this was
'Lust for A Live' that was cut in 2002, after a promotional tour in Russia. Tracks were collected over several months and this album (apart from a
souvenir-compilation) tended to create an ensemble with its own musical and artistic identity.
The fans needed to be patient until the autumn of 2004 for the latest studio album,
'Archie Kramer' of which one track, 'Au Conditionnel', has been
already aired by all French radio stations.
A warm welcome is certain for these Bretons from the West who will perform in the East for the first time with nine performances in India; Delhi,
Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai.
Although AFM has organised many concerts at the IIT campus, this is the first time that Alliance Francaise will participate in the Saarang festival.
| The Group: |
Albums: |
|
Stan (Tristan Nihouan), 31 years old, guitar and singing;
Sammy (Cedric Floc'h), 32 years old, guitar;
Eric Digaire, 33 years old, bass guitar;
Benoit Foumier, 33 years old, drums. |
2004: Archie Kramer
2002: Lust for a Live
2001 : Rebelote
1998: La Ouache |
For more info, access the web site :
www.matmatah.com
RR
|
